Feed roll for sheet material



Nov, 28, 1939. w. E BURNS FEED ROLL EOR SHEET MATERIAL Filed Jan. 18, 1957 Warm?!) [,Bue/vs Q E /2 E a v a /2 E /Z 4 m /0 J 1/2, V 4 IIVVENTOR.

Patented Nov. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES FEED ROLL FOR SHEET MATERIAL Wilford E. Burns, Burlingame, Calif., assignor to M. J. B. Company, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application January 18, 1937, Serial No. 121,154

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in feed rolls and it has reference in particular to feed rolls of that character which are used or adapted to be employed in the can making industry for the feeding of sheetsof tin plate to various machines, such as those for cutting, trimming, scoring, folding, or for various other operations on tin plate that might be incident to the manufacture of cans, or similar articles. It is to be understood,.however, that feed rolls embodying the present invention are also applicable to the feeding of sheet materials of various kinds and for various uses, and it is not intended that the present .feed rolls shall be confined in their use to the can making art.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a feed roll whereby a tractive feeding pressure may be maintained on the sheet material being fed, at all times. Furthermore, a feed roll wherein the tractive pressure against the sheet being advanced is by direct contact of a metallic ring, as differentiated from rubber or fiber tires or bands which have been used to some extent heretofore.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a feed roll which is of long wearing construction; which feeds the material straight; which does not become damaged by contact with oil, and which will retain its yielding, tractive efficiency for an indefinite period of time.

More specifically stated, the present invention resides in the provision of a driven feed roll arranged in cooperative opposition to another roll so that the two will coact in the feeding of sheet material between them, and wherein the said feed roll is adapted to bear in rolling contact with a sheet of material without slippage, and has an encircling groove of substantial depth therein, wherein a traction ring having an outside diameter that is slightly greater than that of the roller is fitted and which will be forced off center by contact with material being fed and wherein a tension applying marcelled spring washer is fitted in the groove to bear against a side of the ring in such manner that as the roller travels in rolling contact with the sheet material being fed, the traction ring is always held tightly but yieldingly in tractive contact against the plate by a pressure that is equal to that required to cause the ring to be slipped radially in the roller groove.

Other objects of the invention reside in the various details of construction, and in the combination of parts and in their mode of operation, as will hereinafter be described.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Fig. 1 is a view diagrammatically illustrating 5 an arrangement of feed rollers wherein the present invention is embodied.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view on the line 22 in Fig. 1, particularly illustrating the arrangement of the eccentric traction ring in '10 the upper feed roll.

Fig. 3 is a side View of the upper feed roll; parts being broken away for better illustration of the traction ring and the friction washer.

Fig. 4 is an edge view of the friction washer, particularly illustrating its undulatory formation.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, sectional detail, particularly showing the disposition of the traction ring and washer as associated with a feed roll that effects the scoring operationof a can body blank.

Fig. 6 is a similar sectional view, illustrating the invention as applied to a feed roll for cutting or slitting a tin sheet.

Referring more in detail to the drawing In Fig.1 there is illustrated, diagrammatically, a mechanism for feeding sheets of tin plate wherein a pair of rollers l and la are arranged respectively above and below the plane of the top surface of a feed table 2. These rollers are mounted on parallel and vertically alined axles 3 and 3a, one or both of which axles would be driven in such a manner that when the sheets of tin plate, as designated at 4, are advanced across the table into contact with the rollers, they will be caused to pass between them by reason of the rollers frictionally contacting therewith directly at opposite sides.

1 Explanatory to the invention, it will be stated that in some instances it requires considerable tractive force to be applied against the sheets of tin plate to advance the same between or beyond the rollers. This might be due to friction, or by reason of the devices which are arranged for operation on the material either while passing through the rolls or as they immerge therefrom, such, for example, as in the case of passing the sheets of tin between slitting or trimming rollers, or, in another case, between scoring rollers. Therefore, it has been an object of. this invention to provide. a feed roll having a traction band which .will be caused to bear yieldingly against the plate with sufficient force at all times that there can be no slippage. Furthermore, to provide a traction band that will not cause any wobbly feeding, such as has been experienced where rubber tires on the rollers have been employed, or where rubber cushions are used for metal traction rolls.

In the arrangement as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the rollers I and la are of a type designed for scoring tin blanks, such, for example, as for setting off a tearing strip, and in this illustration, the upper roller l is formed with two, spaced, circumferential groove forming ridges, as indicated at 5 and 5a in Fig. 2. The lower roller has a fiat contact surface 6 which coacts with the groove forming ridges so that, when the sheet material is passed between the rollers, two parallel grooves will be cut therein to a depth which is dependent upon the adjustment in spacing of the rollers.

Formed circumferentially within the upper roller is a groove or channel 8 of substantial depth. In this instance it is located medially of the spaced groove forming ridges. The opposite side walls of the groove are in parallel planes that are perpendicular to the axis of the roller, and the flat base of the groove is in a circle that is coaxial of the roller axis.

Fitted within the groove or channel 8 is a traction ring or tire ill of circular form with an outside diameter slightly greater than that of the roller l, and an inside diameter greater than the diameter of the groove at its base. Therefore, the traction band will be permitted slippage in a radial direction within the groove to the extent of the difference of its internal diameter and the diameter of the base of the groove 8. Also, one of the side faces of the ring if] is cut away to form an annular recess H in which a spring washer I2 is contained. The washer is marcelled or of an undulatory formation, and is somewhat compressed when fitted in place so that it will bear frictionally with a considerable amount of pressure against the ring and against the adjacent side surface of the groove 8. Thus, the ring will be retained against slippage in accordance with the frictional pressure provided by the Washer.

Assuming then that the sheets of tin plate 4 are fed into a machine between the feed rollers l and la, as illustrated in Fig. 1, it is understood that, as the roller l rotates in rolling contact with the sheet, the friction ring it, being forced off center of its mounting roller, will bear tightly against the tin plate at all times, and it will be constantly caused to slip in the groove by reason of the fact that it is of greater diameter than the roller and bears in rolling contact with the plate at the same line of contact as does the roller 8. I

In Fig. 5, the feed roller has been illustrated as one of that kind used for scoring a sheet of tin plate to a definite depth, while in Fig. 6 is shown a feed roller having flat contact surfaces and provided also with a shearing disk 15, which overlaps the edge of the lower roll la in a manner and to an extent necessary to effect the shearing of the tin plate in passing through the machine. These two views, Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, are merely to illustrate the use of the present invention as embodied in the traction ring, on feed rolls of different type, and it is to be understood also that it could be employed on a roll of the kind shown in Fig. 6, but from which the shearing roll was eliminated.

As a matter of manufacturing convenience and expediency, the roll la and also that shown in Fig. 6, may be made of two parts, fitted together and secured by any suitable means. In this case, the opposite sides of the roll comprise parts of identical formation.

Feed rolls of this character are especially advantageous for the reason that the traction ring is of metal and there are no parts contained in the roller which are damaged or which will be caused to deteriorate or lose life by reason of having oil come in contact therewith. This is an undesirable feature when rubber feed rolls are used, since oil causes deterioration of the rubber, and furthermore, when rubber cushioning bands are used to support metal traction rings, the rubber becomes lifeless by reason of the oil.

Feed rolls of this type may be made of various diameters and widths, and may be driven in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is not desired that the claims should be limited to the details shown, but that they shall be given an interpretation commensurate with the scope of the invention disclosed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In a feed mechanism for sheet material, a feed roll adapted for rolling contact with the material being fed and having an encircling groove, a traction ring of greater diameter than the roll, fitted movably in the groove and adapted for rolling contact at the same line of contact of the roll, with material being advanced; said ring having one face recessed and an expansion washer disposed in the roll groove against the base thereof and within said ring recess and adapted to .bear frictionally against a side of the ring and side of the groove.

2. In a mechanism of the character described, a I

rotary axis, a roll mounted thereon for rolling contact with sheet material being advanced and having an encircling recess, a traction ring disposed in the encircling recess of the roll and of larger diameter than the roll, and adapted for rolling contact with material being advanced along the same line of contact as that of the roll, and adapted to be continuously shifted radially inward toward the axis by such rolling contact, and an annular friction member interposed between a side face of the ring and side wall of the recess to apply resistance to movement of the ring.

WILFORD E. BURNS. 

